journal pages... per our youngest son.

 both of us made a journal this year....both very different, but, i am so proud of him and the fact that he stuck through it and finished his journal as well. he turned 13 this year. hope you enjoy some of his journal pages. thanks for looking around!!

monday

i'm bummed that once again it is monday morning....we had a busy weekend and it seemed to go really quickly. i did get to spend some time in my studio. i have a couple of things that are "cooking" that i will have to post later. for now, i will reminiscence of studio time.....

super friday....

yesterday was about as perfect as a friday could get.....i got to hang out in my studio pretty much all day and our daughter told me thank you for fixing her boot by sewing a button back on that she had managed to pop off yesterday morning at her orthodontist appt. now- let me tell you.....in a house full of teenagers at this point- the mom is ALWAYS underestimated and TOTALLY underappreciated- so to get a thank you and you are the best....i could have fallen over.

 so now onto the studio time.....here is a peak at what i worked on.

off the floor here is- all the paper stuff or whatever is stuck to this page, did truly come off of my studio floor. my mom always says the best stuff is found on the floor or in my garbage down there....worked on in my studio.

delivery.....

with my cheap joes order coming today.....i could not be much happier!! one of the items i ordered was pan pastels after being inspired by simply me. if you have not been to this blog- you need to visit her! not only are her journal pages spectacular, her videos are very entertaining. i am loving her blog!

we stopped last night on our way home and i happened to find the cutest green polka dot napkins!! i can't wait to use them in my art or journal pages, or whatever i can come up with.

tuesday morning coffee group

in town there is a wonderful group of ladies who have invited me to join their group. most of the group  have retired, and they are such a great group of ladies that if i stop even for a quick cup of coffee (because i am still working....) it just makes the rest of my day.

yesterday, was no exception....i laughed so hard yesterday (i will never think of roy orbison the same....)- it just felt good. they are so welcoming and always wanting to know if i have made anything new for art and how that is going (bless their hearts....); who could pass up the opportunity for a few hugs, whole lot of smiles, and plenty of laughs....

journal page....

 found some pretty purple used papertowels and a scrap of another painting for the heart; a little napkin and parts of a doily and some lace; not to mention my vintage green stamps! some sewing, word, and poof!

 this page posted is looking a little plain jane....the right hand corner has a little screen piece that was rusted to just the right point and i secured to the page. the words say "coaxed to tell her life"









not quite finished with this one...but, liked my "x"

just a few more journal pages from me....happy tuesday to you- thanks for visiting!

playful weekend

i couldn't take it anymore...had to at least try the crayon idea off of pinterest...not sure i exactly love my creation- i will have to play around with this a bit more.

 i am loving my bird. i made the armature and wanted to make it transparent so you could see the egg on the inside. i made the egg out of clay which i cooked for about an hour and then, i painted with acrylic paint. the pattern paper body was a little tricky to put on without tearing, but, overall, i am pretty happy. trying to decide if it needs wings? let me know what you think- wings, no wings.....

 this is a homemade journal i actually made last year that has been just hanging out waiting for some inspirational moment to come upon me, which apparently occurred today. i am loving the colors and what is  happening now, so i will let it cook for a bit and finish drying.

i was able to sneak some private time to work in my studio this weekend....hope you enjoy. i am not sure anything is finished yet- it is all still "cooking."

morning muffins....

i love the quiet saturday morning before the kids are up....feeling a little betty crockerish this morning and made apple cinnamon muffins from  scratch from my favorite vintage betty crocker cook book....

apple muffins:
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup salad oil; stir in 1 cup grated apple with the oil
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour; add 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon with flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

topping:
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup broken nuts (optional)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

bake for 18-20 minutes at 350. i have also made this recipe with fresh blueberries, if you do this option, take off the cinnamon with the flour- that is not needed. and, if you really want to try something different- i have added a 1/2 pear with the blueberries, and that is so delightful!! enjoy your saturday!

more journal pages....

happy friday to you! we awoke to snow this morning...the kids were excited to see the snow, but, were hoping for at least a 2 hours late start (which did not happen- or at least not yet....)

 she dreamed of being the queen of the pool....

i am posting a few more pages from my sketchbook before i have to send it off. do you see one that you like? let me know.

sketchbook project

 the words at the beginning read: this is the story, her treasure.She loved it more than everything else.

i had done the sketchbook project last year and decided to do it again this year. i had gotten my book but, was feeling totally uninspired until i visited this young lady- awkwardandbeautiful. her blog and sketchbook totally inspired me into action. with only a short time left before i have to turn the book in....i can safely say- i will finish the whole book. and, i was lucky enough that our youngest son wanted to join in the action. today's post is from my book, but, i will post from his as well.

i

yum

if you are interested in a yummy, easy supper (and have kids...) then, i have the recipe for you from whataboutpie. she actually has a ton of good stuff to eat!

i made 3 loaves of pizza rolls, and this was all that was left! in our house- that is how i know it must have been a good one!!

sunday bliss....

i was fortunate enough to have been able to work in my shop today. this is what is "cooking" in my studio tonight....

so enjoyed making the background painting... these may not be finished yet. we shall see....

these bottom ones are 6x6 wooden cradles- if you have not painted on them- you should give them a try. definitely different that canvas and paper- but, good! i buy my from cheapjoes.

quite the pair

last weekend i was able work in my shop (i am hoping to do more of the same this weekend!) i am feeling so inspired again on so many fronts....amazing.

i was really liking the little splash of blue. what do you think? thanks for any comments and taking a look.

super gramma

picture this....school band concert at 730. our youngest son comes down at 550 to inform me that he had broke 2 reeds that day and did not have a reed for the concert. have i mentioned that we live in a small rural town in the midwest? you can't buy a stick of gum after 6pm let alone find musical reeds....

gramma, drives over from town for what she thinks is a relaxing dinner and an evening of music. however, my spouse was out of town for the evening, our oldest son who drives, was at work until 9pm; our daughter would need a ride home after bball at about 615 and the youngest is supposed to be at school at 645 for his said concert.

so, this tech savvy gramma hopped on her phone, located a music store over in town; calls to discover....the store IS open until 8pm last night. she says to the store clerk- see you in 30 minutes. grabs her coat and keys, leaps over several small animals who like to hover around everyone's feet, and is able to drive safely yet speedily avoiding maroon and white trooper who like to pull people over for speeding, and return with said #2 alto sax reeds. two packages, so that a hasty last minute trip in any future may be avoided only to return to our house, wolf down her spaghetti dinner AND get to the concert on time. now that is the story of a super human hero gramma capable of anything for her grandkids!

for a friend....

i made some lemon sugar handscrub for a friend off of pinterest. it turned out really good and makes hands feel wonderful! i had found a vintage jar to put it in and had made the metal tag with the crown. the name tag is a bingo card stamped and i used some dimensional clear gel.

did you make something for a friend over the holidays? please share!

lucky me....

i was dreading having to venture into town to go to target, but,.....the last swing through the store should always be the shoe isle- i mean right?!

can you guess what i found? on clearance?.....i know you have already seen my pic....rainboots!!!!!

i have very patiently been waiting to get some rainboots; but, i tend to be a "on sale" or especially "clearance" type of girl for the most part and tonight was able to fulfill my rainboot needs.

and with polka dots no less. what can get better than that i ask you?

pinning

i did manage to find time this weekend to work in my shop....a little cleaning (ok- a lot of cleaning....), some art, and time for a little DIY....

i bought 2 different sizes cupcake cups at my local store. i also bought a plastic light cover replacement that i found at the hardware store- like for a fluorescent light. the instruction stated to use an utility knife to cut, i scored the plastic and was able to cut with a pair of not very good scissors and it worked just fine.

 i used regular liquid elmer's glue to set the first cups i put into place.

the instructions simply stated to place additional cups into one another, but, i couldn't just stop there....no. i have way too much good stuff in my shop. so, i used a bingo card, a wooden token for a cup of coffee, and did some sewing onto my additional cups. the additional cups that i put in i used a glue stick. the glue does not show like the liquid glue may. i didn't really have any trouble with this as the instructions may have lead to believe.

here is the finished product i made-the cupcake holder idea that i had found on bhg.com that was sooo cute! their's were squares, but, the rectangle fit my needs better. i also recycled a vintage buckle for my hangar.

let me know what you think! thanks!!

hello weekend...

i love the holidays, but, i am ready to get back to some sort of normal....when there is time to spend in my shop.

a little alone time with paint, and stamps, old paper of any and all types, music, scraps, fabric, things that are rusty and used.

i have been infinitely inspired on so many fronts lately- i am full!....it is a must that i spend time here with weekend.

that is my weekend. if you do art or craft- what is your favorite item to work with? do you have something that has inspired you? please share!

art

yesterday work was mine...today's is our daughter's. if you ask her if she likes art, she will tell you no! even though her mom is an artist; but, secretly i believe she is just a different type of artist. she has a great eye for color and loves to write on everything....almost like graffiti. and when i say everything- that is exactly what i mean- nothing is sacret.

thursday

showing thursday some love....
happy thursday.

to be or not to be....

that is our question. we live in an old house, and one of the things left was this old sink. my husband did some research and discovered that we could sand, clean, and polish the sink and possible use it in our kitchen.

if we can figure out how to get it out of our basement- (cuz it weighs a ton), then we can clean it up for use.

as you can see, it cleans up beautifully- if the whole thing looked  like this edge....it would be really cool.

the base that the sink is sitting on is really cool. i would also hope that it could be sand blasted and cleaned up. my picture is not the best, but it is relatively ornate.